A prayer for Council

Let us pray,
That middle-aged men
Can save the day,
And pave the way
For more than pavements.
We made our choice,
We had our say,
As demanded
On election day.
Now we wait
For promissary notes
To be delivered;
By return mail, no doubt.
No need to shout, yet.
But, I'll take a bet,
Six-to-one
We will regret
A lack of gender balance.
Muddle-aged men -
I'm one, so I know -
May not have been
The smartest way to go.
Ah, men.

Craig Nelson 2008

Our wilful ways

Economic growth is a mantra
That warps our view of 'productive'.
Vegetable growth is common ground,
And more seductive, to me.
Our so-called democracy,
Based, as it is, on slavery,
(Look-up Greek for 'demos',
If you doubt me.)
Deludes and deprives us, constantly.
On the treadmill to 'Capital Hill',
You can't stay still;
There's barely time to pay the bills
They demand
To fill the corporate coffers.
Like feudal barons,
Disguised as 'Good Guy' offers,
They take their cut.
To each according to their need
Was the Marxist creed.
Me thinks ol' Karl underestimated greed.
This is not to preach,
Perchance to teach:
Each seed we sow,
Each plant and idea we grow -
It's just a thought -
Is one less to be bought.

Craig Nelson 2008